When Rhianna woke up, she felt like her whole body had been run over, about to fall apart. The soreness in her overused private parts was particularly evident.
The person who had entangled with her all night was long gone. Although she could guess the reason behind last night's affair, she still cursed Rylee in her heart as a jerk.
In the pot, the ever-delicious macaroni and cheese was kept warm, this time with added sugar. The rich aroma filled her mouth with the first sip. Rhianna thought that if Rylee changed careers and opened a shop, it would definitely be a booming business.
Rhianna received a call from her brother Damon, who had been expanding the Jefferson family's international market overseas for years.
This time he returned to the country because he had heard from the family lawyer that his sister was getting a divorce. He hadn't told their parents yet. Damon knew Rylee, and when Rhianna insisted on marrying him, as her brother, he couldn't stop her. Watching his sister rush into the marriage, he could only hope and pray for Rhianna's happiness.
Rhianna had planned to go to the airport to pick up Damon, but before she could get ready, Damon burst into her small house in a hurry.
What Damon never expected was that his pampered little princess would be living in such a "simple" house, indicating just how much of a jerk Rylee must be!
"I'm going to find him and get to the bottom of this." Damon turned to leave right after he entered the house, determined to give Rylee a piece of his mind, even if he couldn't beat him up.
"Brother, listen to me first." Rhianna quickly held back her impulsive brother.
She knew Damon was upset on her behalf, but she didn't want to have any more entanglements with Rylee. The best outcome for them was to become strangers.
"Rylee and I are breaking up peacefully, without any disputes." She said this, but her mind flashed back to that rainy night and Rylee's loss of composure. Rhianna chalked up Rylee's behavior to madness, almost letting herself be deceived by the illusion. She couldn't let her thoughts wander now.
She hurriedly pulled Damon back, who was ready to fight. Not to mention whether Damon could beat Rylee, even if he could, attacking an active-duty soldier was no small crime.
Damon also understood his sister's concerns, so he restrained himself, thinking for a long time before saying, "Rhi, there are plenty of good men in the world. Tomorrow, I'll introduce you to someone a thousand times better than that jerk Rylee!"
Rhianna nodded quickly, finally calming Damon down.
*
Rylee had received an urgent mission to support anti-drug operations at the border, leaving without a word to Rhianna.
Rhianna didn't know why Rylee suddenly appeared and then disappeared, and she had no mood to find out.
Due to the incident at T club, many activities in the circle were canceled, and several entertainment companies involved had their TV and film projects put on hold.
As a result, Lauryn gave Rhianna a long break. Rhianna hadn't enjoyed such a carefree life in a long time, basking in the sunshine and having afternoon tea, while he was fighting in the rain and bullets at the border.
*
The days of vacation flew by, and half a month passed in a flash. Rhianna finally regained her vitality.
Back at the Jefferson family villa, Damon went out early in the morning and saw his sister happily sitting at the breakfast bar drinking coffee. One had to admit, their family had good genes. Rhianna's features were like those in a painting, looking even more stunning in the morning light.
Divorce might actually be a good thing. His beautiful sister shouldn't be wasted on that Rylee.
"What are your plans for today?" Damon wanted Rhianna to go out and have some fun since she had been staying home most of the time.
He knew how deeply Rhianna loved Rylee and had seen her suffer. Even though she seemed calm now, he feared she might be crying secretly.
Rhianna saw her brother's concern and said, "Damon, I'm planning to go shopping this afternoon."
"Emmm, it's boring to go alone. One of my classmates, who used to visit our house often in high school, studied directing abroad and wants to understand the domestic entertainment industry now that he's back. You two are sort of in the same field. Can you help me entertain him? I have a board meeting this afternoon..."
*
Rhianna arrived early at the address Damon had given her. She understood her brother's intention to introduce her to more people and help her move on from the "divorce" shadow.
But Rhianna had another reason. When Damon mentioned the name Carlo Odom, she knew she had to meet him.
Being reborn, Rhianna knew Carlo was a newcomer director whose debut film would win the Best Director award at various International Awards and, two years later, would direct a series of movies that would achieve both critical and commercial success. Carlo had a keen eye and had launched many new stars.
Rhianna wanted to make a name for herself in acting. Even if she didn't participate in Carlo's films, she wanted to invest in them.
Carlo arrived at the cafe with an apologetic look. He had recently returned to the country and, despite using navigation, wasn't familiar with the roads, arriving later than scheduled.
Seeing his apologetic expression, Rhianna quickly started a conversation to ease his embarrassment.
After chatting for a while, they discovered many common interests. Carlo graduated from U university, and Rhianna had once planned to study abroad and received an offer from U university. However, she had too many attachments back then and ultimately didn't go.
Initially meant to discuss the current state of the acting industry, their conversation unexpectedly shifted to Carlo's college anecdotes, making Rhianna laugh so hard she nearly cried, all while maintaining her ladylike facade because it was just their first meeting.
Carlo watched the girl struggling to suppress her laughter, momentarily lost in thought. She resembled the lively and lovely girl in his script, with bright eyes full of incredulous joy.
For Rhianna, it was a delight to befriend an interesting person. Though she initially wanted to meet the future film industry giant, it turned out to be a pleasant surprise.
The two had a great time talking. Since Carlo had just returned and needed to buy some things.
"May I have the honor of inviting this beautiful lady to help me pick out some furniture?" Carlo joked. Rhianna, knowing the entertainment industry was quiet lately, wore a baseball cap as they spent a long time shopping at the downtown. When they were going to leave, it started to rain.
Carlo had an evening meeting with Damon. Unfamiliar with the area, his car was parked far away. They were about to walk in the rain to the car, waiting at a red light at a crosswalk. Despite the rain, Carlo kept joking, making Rhianna laugh, a joy she hadn't felt in a long time.
She didn't notice that across the street, Rylee was watching her radiant smile. He missed her so much and couldn't resist coming to find her, witnessing this scene.
Her smile reminded him of a time long ago. He had seen that smile in her face
As the rain poured harder, Carlo was also enjoying the moment. Suddenly, a small car lost control at the intersection, heading straight for Rhianna. Carlo didn't have time to react; the car was about to hit Rhianna.
In the rain, the sound of brakes, tires screeching, and screams all merged into one.
Everything stopped.
Before Rhianna could react, strong, warm arms wrapped around her from behind.
There was a thud, but no pain in her body.
"Ry……Rylee……"
Arely had gone to the hospital to visit Rylee, only to be told by Milton that the commander had "escaped."
But on her way home, she saw Rylee's car and witnessed the heart-stopping moment.
Rylee had rushed to embrace the girl just in time to save her from being hit by the car, preventing a fatal accident.
The out-of-control car crashed into a utility pole, the front completely deformed. Rhianna turned around to see Rylee's face full of concern.
Rhianna tried to get up, touching not the cold rainwater but warm blood.
The blood was seeping from Rylee's waist and abdomen!
At this moment, Carlo finally reacted and helped Rhianna up. Thanks to Rylee's protection, she was unharmed. She hadn't even thought about why Rylee had appeared so suddenly.
Rylee was being supported by Arely. He didn't even try to cover his wound.
Everything happened too quickly for Rhianna to process.
"Rylee, your wound has reopened!" Arely didn't know the relationship between Rylee and the girl, but their atmosphere was undeniably strange.
Sirens of police and ambulances filled the air.
At that moment, she couldn't investigate further. She quickly took out her phone and called Milton, "Milton, I found your commander, He was at..."
Rylee didn't seem to feel the pain of his reopened wound. Only the burning in his heart could be soothed by seeing Rhianna.
